Thursday, December 28, 2006

Hey Gang, as you may have been able to tell, there is some glitch in our blog that keeps pics from appearing and in some cases makes them disappear after they have been posted. This is most frustrating, and hopefully we can get it figured out shortly. Please keep checking back for updates....

Friday, December 22, 2006

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Need a last minute Christmas idea? Well, you may not be able to get it by Christmas, but an excellent gift at any time of the year is the collection of Puritan prayers entitled, "The Valley of Vision." Honest, heartfelt, and humbling (alliteration purely accidental!), these prayers are at once an encouragement and a help for prayer.

It is a good day to me when thou givest mea glimpse of myself;Sin is my greatest evil,but though art my greatest good.

Most prayers are in the old King James English (I guess folks used to pray that way, and some still do), but it is easily modifiable!

O God of my Delight,

Thy throne of graceis the pleasure ground of my soul.Here I obtain mercy in time of need,here see the smile of thy reconciled face,here joy pleads the name of Jesus,here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit,annoint the shield of faith,put on the helmet of salvation,gather manna from thy Word,am strengthened for each conflict,nerved for the upward race,empowered to conquer every foe;

Help me to come to Christas the fountain head of descending blessings,as a wide open flood-gate of mercy....

Impress on my mind the shortness of time,the work to be engaged in,the account to be rendered,the nearness of eternity,the fearful sin of despising thy Spirit.

May I never forget that they eye always sees,thy ear always hears,they recording hand always writes.

May I never give thee rest until Christ is the pulse of my heartthe spokesman of my lips,the lamp of my feet.

Of course, if you are like me, your prayers are much more 'earthy' (and this is where the inspired book of Psalms is helpful), but these prayers are good and they are like wise, spiritually mature friends coming alongside you and praying with you. Many times when I read these prayers, I am amazed at how they give voice to my heart's desires, and how they say the things I want to say in words that I often have a hard time finding.

I've made it back from a week of staff training with RUF in the states and Heather survived 10 days without me (barely!) [insert correction: Heather says that it was actually 11 days pushing 12 because I got back so late on Monday]. That's hard work with five kids. I told her she gets the wife / mom of the year award. It was good to catch my breath in the states, visit with a few people (but alas, no time to meet with very many :), and eat some good American food!!!

Now, with the Baker's on vacation in Texas, the Bradford's taking some time off in another part of Peru, and the Smith's in Lima picking up Allen's father, we are the only American family here connected with Peru Mission. We're home alone! A bit surreal, but we'll survive no doubt. In addition, most of our SALI interns head out tomorrow for the states for Christmas break and much deserved break.

Please pray for safety for all our missionaries who are traveling, as well as physical and spiritual refreshment.

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

A few weeks ago, the university ministry sponsored a sports day (read soccer--futbol--competition) with 10 different teams from various churches and ministries represented. It was a lot of fun! As you might have guessed, our predominantly Gringo pastor's soccer team came in last place, but hey, I remember something somewhere about the first being last...(And we could have used the help of Brian Franklin & Joshua Butcher's athletic prowess! Ahem.)

At any rate, it was a good time and provided many opportunities to interact and get to know some of the Peruvian people down here. Here is a picture of our all-star soccer team and a team from the Larco church.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Some of you know my friend, Dustin Salter. He is the RUF campus minister at Furman University and was formerly the RUF campus minister at TCU for the past 8 years. He is in critical condition at Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville, SC. On Wednesday, November 8, Dustin and his two sons went for a bicycle ride on his new mountain bike in his neighborhood. Dustin had an accident and as a result of the fall he was knocked unconscious and sustained very serious head trauma. He had to be airlifted to the hospital in Greenville, where he was operated on that night in order to reduce/stop bleeding in his brain.You can pray specifically for: (1) Immediate subsiding of swelling in Dustin's brain; (2) reversal of any damage to Dustin's brain; (3) improvement in neurological function (movement in his arms and legs, response to touch, pupils react to light, open eyes spontaneously); (4) reduction of complications like pneumonia, urinary tract infections, blood clots in his legs; and (5) strength and faith for his wife, Leigh Anne, and their three children (Jacob [9], Nathan [7], and Meredith [2]).

Reformed University Ministries has established a fund by which churches and individuals can support the Salter family, now and over the long term. Send gifts marked "Dustin Salter Care" to Reformed University Ministries, 1700 N. Brown Rd., #104, Lawrenceville, GA 30043.

Below is a prayer for Dustin & his family...

Our God & Heavenly Father, You are the Sovereign Lord & Only King of the Universe.

We cry out to You, our God, for help. We cry out to You, our God, to hear us. We are in distress; therefore we seek You. At night we stretch out untiring hands because our souls refuse to be comforted.

We come before You with heavy hearts filled with sadness & tired eyes filled with tears. Our dear brother, Dustin, has suffered a severe life-threatening injury while riding bikes with his children. We are struck anew with the brokenness of this world. Surely such an accident is violence against shalom. O Lord, this is not the way things are supposed to be.

Yet, You, O God, are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. When we are afraid, we will trust in You.

We pray specifically for our dear brother. You who are the Great Physician, would you awe us by Your great power? Would You give us even more reasons to praise You by healing Dustin and restoring him to Your service, to his family, and to us? Surely nothing is too hard for You! Please awaken him! Restore him, we pray!

We know that one day, you will make everything the way its supposed to be. Your Kingdom will have come in all its fullness. Then there will be no more brokenness, sadness, tears or death. We long for that day, and we would ask that in this instance of our friend's brokenness that Your long-awaited Kingdom would break into the present. Please awaken him! Restore him, we pray!

We pray for Leigh Anne, Your precious daughter. Terror constantly assaults her soul. The enemy would destroy her confidence in You as good and as loving. During this time of severe testing, would You support her by Your strong right hand. May she come to understand You in a new and fresh way as the Rock of her salvation. Remind her through the testimony of your people that You will never leave her nor forsake her. Even though she is passing through the waters, they will not overwhelm her. Though she is passing through the fire, she will not be burned because You, O Lord, are Holy One of Israel, and you have her inscribed on the palms of Your hands. May she dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. May her soul find rest in You alone, for You alone are her rock and her salvation. Be to her a mighty fortress in which she can never be shaken. O Lord, she needs more of You at this very moment. Comfort her with the indescribable peace of Your presence.

And Lord, we pray for their children who must be scared and confused not understanding what is happening, nor all the implications. Protect them, O Lord. Even in these tender years, enable them to trust in You at all times and to pour our their hearts to You. Lead Leigh Ann and the children to the Rock that is higher than they. Put their feet upon the Rock and make their footsteps firm.

And Father, we pray for Your church which in so many countless ways is rising to the occasion. We pray for Jeff Wilkins and for Rob Hamby and for their wives who are involved in ministering in very difficult circumstances. Give them words to say, and the wisdom to say nothing at times and simply cry with Leigh Ann and others affected in deep ways by this tragedy. Strengthen them as they seek to minister to so many people who are looking to them for answers to unanswerable questions. Enable them to point to Christ—the Resurrection and the Life—the One in Whom our hope rests. May Leigh Anne find strength in the comfort of Your people who are only able to comfort through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Cause her to shine in this dark moment that others may see here and glorify the Lord Jesus.

"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that You, O God, are strong,and that You, O Lord, are loving." (Ps. 62:11)

Hear our prayer. From the ends of the earth we call to you even as our heart faints. Hear us, through Jesus Christ in whom we live and breathe and have our being. Amen.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

I had my first talk with Mormon missionaries the other day. I'm actually surprised that it has taken so long to actually bump into them because they are, as my grandpa used to say, thicker than hair on a dog's back. It seems like hardly a day goes by that I do not see Mormon missionaries spreading the gospel of Joseph Smith (and here).

The Mormons I talked with said they have 29 Mormon churches in Trujillo with over 100 missionaries here. One of my friends here said he was at the airport the other day where a group of Mormons were saying goodbye to 7 missionaries who had completed their 2 year stint while at the same time receiving 20 more newbies from the next plane.

Needless to say, this is of great concern for us. The Roman church here has given the folks of Peru a notion of who Jesus is, and most people here have great respect for Him. But most folks having only vague notions are very ignorant of who Jesus is, who He claimed to be, and what He has done. Thus, the Mormons are able to capitalize on this ignorance. As one of the Mormon missionaries told me, "Everyone here has heard of Jesus, but most folks do not know much about him, so we can spend hours talking to folks about him."

Quick facts about Mormonism:•Over 11 million members (most of which are nice neighbor-types who vote Republican).•Over 60,000 full-time missionaries—more than any other single missionary-sending organization in the world.•More than 310,000 converts annually.•As many as eighty percent of converts come from Protestant backgrounds. (In Mormon circles, the saying is, “We baptize a Baptist church every week.”)•Within fifteen years, the numbers of missionaries and converts will roughly double.•Within eighty years, with adherents exceeding 267 million, Mormonism could become the first world-religion to arise since Islam.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

I had two opportunities to preach recently. One was at our RUF/SSA meeting on Friday when our campus minister, Geraldo, had to make an unexpected trip out of town. I filled in and preached from the Gospel of Mark about the rich young man who came to Jesus asking "What must I do to inherit eternal life." We are consistently having a group of 25-35 or so students out for our meetings. Here are some photos from recent meetings with the university students.

I also had the opportunity to preach at our church in Arevalo this past weekend. Arevelo is one of the three churches associated with Peru Mission. Below are some pics from the church in Larco which is also under construction.

Sorry this is so late – Just wanted to let ya'll know that I'm actually doing something down here besides taking care of the family, learning Spanish, walking the dog and keeping my cat from jumping out the window. On Wed., Sept. 27, Jami Baker, Allen Bradford and I (Heather) headed out to Hogar de Esperanza a local orphanage with which Peru Mission has developed a relationship. We had been asked by the director of the orphanage, who attends the Larco church, to come and speak to the house moms and other women who help with the kids, in order to encourage them an help them think through what it looks like Biblically to teach and discipline in love. They are in such a unique and difficult position. Many of these kids have been abandoned, some have been brought because their home is not safe, some have been brought because their family does not have a home and can not take care of them.

As of now, there are no men helping at the orphanage, so not only are the house moms having to guide these children from such difficult circumstances, they are having to do it with no male “father – figures” to help support them in their efforts. The women are strong, patient, and love their kids very much, but, needless to say, they were in much need of encouragement and affirmation. We enjoyed our time there very much, and have been asked to return sometime this month to continue the discussion. Please be in prayer for these ladies as they seek to love these kids with the love and energy of Christ.

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

A friend sent me this video that left me in tears. It is a perfect illustration of the Gospel. The story by Rick Reilly originally ran in Sports Illustrated about a father's love for his son that propelled him into action, to do for his son what he couldn't do for himself.

Read this and then watch the video. And then collapse in tear-filled praise.

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

Friday, September 22, 2006

9/21/06 Indonesia (ICC) Indonesian Christians Executed -- The three Christian men facing the death penalty in Indonesia have been executed by firing squad. The men were executed just after midnight on Friday, September 22, 2006, Indonesia time.

9/15/06 Somalia (ANS) Convert from Islam to Christianity Killed in Somalia -- Somali Christian sources report that Ali Mustaf Maka'il, a college student and cloth merchant, who converted from Islam to Christianity eleven months ago, was shot and killed in the Manabolyo quarter of Mogadishu

9/16/06 Palestine (AsiaNews) Two Churches Struck In Nablus As Muslim Countries Criticize Pope – As Muslims persist in heaping criticism on the pope’s speech in Regensburg, there have been elements of violence. There is also speculation about political exploitation of the criticisms leveled against the pontiff.

9/16/06 India (BosNewsLife) India Hindu Militants Attack House Church As Violence Spreads – Dozens of Hindu militants stormed a house church in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, where several other Christian gatherings were attacked earlier in the week

9/17/06 Somalia (Christian Post) Italian Nun Slain by Somali Gunmen -- Sister Leonella was shot in the back four times by pistol-wielding attackers as she left the Austrian-run S.O.S. hospital after finishing nursing school for trainee medics. Her bodyguard was also slain. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, which came just hours after a leading Somali cleric condemned the pope's remarks last week on Islam and violence

9/18/06 India (Evangelical Fellowship of India) Attack on Church Building and Christians in Amritsar, Punjab -- Uday Singh, the priest of the Church stated that some unscrupulous persons had entered the Church and indulged in an act of sacrilege of historic and religious items, including the holy book

9/18/06 Islam (Dailymail.com) Al Qaeda threat to 'slit throats of worshippers of the cross' -- Al Qaeda militants in Iraq vowed war on "worshippers of the cross" and protesters burned a papal effigy on Monday over Pope Benedict's comments on Islam.

9/18/06 Uzbekistan (Church Leadership Development International) Government Clamps Down on Religious Freedom -- Pastor Seeks Refugee Status -- Sergey Khripunov a citizen of Uzbekistan who serves as a pastor overseeing five churches and is Church Leadership Development International’s (CLDI) key ministry contact in Central Asia, was illegally deported from his own country.

9/19/06 Pakistan (AsiaNews) Young Christian Arrested For Blasphemy – The boy was arrested for allegedly tearing pages from a tafseer, a book explaining the Quranic verses. Both have been charged under section 295B of Pakistan’s Penal Code, better known as the blasphemy laws, which stipulate life imprisonment for those who desecrate the Koran.9/20/06 Eritrea (Compass Direct News) Eritrea Orders Protestant Assets Confiscated – The Eritrean government demanded this month that the Kale Hiwot Church surrender all its property and physical assets to the government.

9/21/06 Indonesia (WorldNetDaily) Machete Attack Survivor Working On Rehab -- The only survivor of a machete attack by radical Muslims on four Christian high school girls successfully has had surgery on her massive injury, and officials say they are working on additional treatments for her.9/21/06 Nigeria (This Day) Muslim Youths Burn Churches -- Irate Muslim youths went on rampage yesterday in Dutse, Jigawa State capital, setting ablaze and looting 10 churches belonging to different denominations. However, no life was lost, even as the Police seemed helpless in stopping the rampaging youths.

9/21/06 India (ICC) Pastor’s Family, Christian School Attacked In Two Separate Incidents -- A pastor and his wife were beaten up by a mob of about 40 people near Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka state, while a Christian school in the city was attacked three days later.9/21/06 Cuba (BosNewsLife) Cuba Christian Rights Activist Biscet "Tortured" in Prison -- Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet said the government of the Communist island "tortured me during eight years; they have done so trying to drive me insane though, thank God, I have been able to preserve my sanity…" Dr. Biscet claimed that prison authorities and others "continue torturing me because I live in a box with no windows or natural light, no water, with a mattress that feels as if one were sleeping on a plank, a stone unfit for a human being."

1. Admit that the Christian church has often been too entangled with civil governments, with the result that violence has been endorsed by the church as a way of accomplishing religious, and not just civil, goals.

2. Make clear that the use of God-sanctioned violence between Israel and the nations in the Old Testament is no longer God’s will for his people.

3. Admit that there are many Muslims today who do not approve of violence in the spread of Islam.

4. Point out how Islam, in its most sacred writings and authoritative teachings, belittles Jesus Christ, not just occasionally in the news, but constantly by its dominant claims.

5. Point out that, in response to this constant defamation of Jesus Christ, there are no public threats or demands for apologies.

6. Do good to those who hate you—and, of course, those of other faiths who don’t hate you (Luke 6:27).

7. Seek to win others to saving faith in Jesus by persuading with words, not imposing with force.

8. Always be ready to die, but never to kill, for the sake of commending Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for sinners and rose again as the Lord of the universe.

9. Pray for the salvation of all those who belittle Jesus Christ.

10. No matter the cost, continue to exalt and commend Jesus Christ as the great and only Savior that he is.

As some of you may know, the Rev. Tim Keller of Redeemer NYC had the opportunity to speak before the President and other dignitaries and families of the victims of 9/11 at this years memorial service. Tim's son, Michael Keller, made the transcript available after the Keller received a copy of it because President Bush asked Karl Rove for a written copy of it.

Below is a sermon that particularly resonates with me on multiple levels. First, it is a sermon delivered by dad to 9/11 victims’ families and national dignitaries (Bush, H. Clinton, Bloomberg, Pataki, Giuliani, etc) about suffering and what they can do with their very personal suffering that still exists. It impacted me because I saw concisely in the sermon the power the resurrection has to those suffering. Secondly, it was a sermon given at an interfaith memorial (8 min long) and therefore as a student currently studying presentation to multiple audiences, I was impacted at both the kindness he had towards the “resources” of other faiths, but also the honesty and clarify that he still spoke from his own convictions. This is the way, to affirm others, and still not lose the distinct Gospel voice that we deem as so powerful in today’s society. Lastly, it impacted me because while many others would have used the pulpit in front of so many political figures to espouse either their own political views, or some well meaning, yet hopelessly ill-timed, alter call type message- dad focused on those suffering and in pain and tried to speak to them in their loss of their loved ones with the message that there is a God, the God, who knows exactly what it feels like and can therefore relate to them in their pain. Way to go dad.

Below is the transcribed version of the sermon done by individuals at the White House who also apparently liked it.

As a minister, of course, I’ve spent countless hours with people who are struggling and wrestling with the biggest question - the WHY question in the face of relentless tragedies and injustices. And like all ministers or any spiritual guides of any sort, I scramble to try to say something to respond and I always come away feeling inadequate and that’s not going to be any different today. But we can’t shrink from the task of responding to that question. Because the very best way to honor the memories of the ones we’ve lost and love is to live confident, productive lives. And the only way to do that is to actually be able to face that question. We have to have the strength to face a world filled with constant devastation and loss. So where do we get that strength? How do we deal with that question? I would like to propose that, though we won’t get all of what we need, we may get some of what we need 3 ways: by recognizing the problem for what it is, and then by grasping both an empowering hint from the past and an empowering hope from the future.

First, we have to recognize that the problem of tragedy, injustice and suffering is a problem for everyone no matter what their beliefs are. Now, if you believe in God and for the first time experience or see horrendous evil, you rightly believe that that is a problem for your belief in God, and you’re right – and you say, “How could a good and powerful God allow something like this to happen?”

But it’s a mistake (though a very understandable mistake) to think that if you abandon your belief in God it somehow is going to make the problem easier to handle. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., in his Letter from Birmingham Jail says that if there was no higher divine Law, there would be no way to tell if a particular human law was unjust or not. So think. If there is no God or higher divine Law and the material universe is all there is, then violence is perfectly natural—the strong eating the weak! And yet somehow, we still feel this isn’t the way things ought to be. Why not? Now I’m not going to get philosophical at a time like this. I’m just trying to make the point that the problem of injustice and suffering is a problem for belief in God but it is also a problem for disbelief in God---for any set of beliefs. So abandoning belief in God does not really help in the face of it. OK, then what will?

Second, I believe we need to grasp an empowering hint from the past. Now at this point, I’d like to freely acknowledge that every faith - and we are an interfaith gathering today – every faith has great resources for dealing with suffering and injustice in the world. But as a Christian minister I know my own faith’s resources the best, so let me simply share with you what I’ve got. When people ask the big question, “Why would God allow this or that to happen?” There are almost always two answers. The one answer is: Don’t question God! He has reasons beyond your finite little mind. And therefore, just accept everything. Don’t question. The other answer is: I don’t know what God’s up to – I have no idea at all about why these things are happening. There’s no way to make any sense of it at all. Now I’d like to respectfully suggest the first of these answers is too hard and the second is too weak. The second is too weak because, though of course we don’t have the full answer, we do have an idea, an incredibly powerful idea.

One of the great themes of the Hebrew Scriptures is that God identifies with the suffering. There are all these great texts that say things like this: If you oppress the poor, you oppress to me. I am a husband to the widow. I am father to the fatherless. I think the texts are saying God binds up his heart so closely with suffering people that he interprets any move against them as a move against him. This is powerful stuff! But Christianity says he goes even beyond that. Christians believe that in Jesus, God’s son, divinity became vulnerable to and involved in - suffering and death! He didn’t come as a general or emperor. He came as a carpenter. He was born in a manger, no room in the inn.

But it is on the Cross that we see the ultimate wonder. On the cross we sufferers finally see, to our shock that God now knows too what it is to lose a loved one in an unjust attack. And so you see what this means? John Stott puts it this way. John Stott wrote: “I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the Cross. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?” Do you see what this means? Yes, we don’t know the reason God allows evil and suffering to continue, but we know what the reason isn’t, what it can’t be. It can’t be that he doesn’t love us! It can’t be that he doesn’t care. God so loved us and hates suffering that he was willing to come down and get involved in it. And therefore the Cross is an incredibly empowering hint. Ok, it’s only a hint, but if you grasp it, it can transform you. It can give you strength.

And lastly, we have to grasp an empowering hope for the future. In both the Hebrew Scriptures and even more explicitly in the Christian Scriptures we have the promise of resurrection. In Daniel 12:2-3 we read: Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake….[They]… will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and…like the stars for ever and ever. And in John 11 we hear Jesus say: I am the resurrection and the life! Now this is what the claim is: That God is not preparing for us merely some ethereal, abstract spiritual existence that is just a kind of compensation for the life we lost. Resurrection means the restoration to us of the life we lost. New heavens and new earth means this body, this world! Our bodies, our homes, our loved ones—restored, returned, perfected and beautified! Given back to us!

In the year after 9-11 I was diagnosed with cancer, and I was treated successfully. But during that whole time I read about the future resurrection and that was my real medicine. In the last book of The Lord of the Rings, Sam Gamgee wakes up, thinking everything is lost and discovering instead that all his friends were around him, he cries out: "Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead! Is everything sad going to come untrue?"

The answer is YES. And the answer of the Bible is YES. If the resurrection is true, then the answer is yes. Everything sad is going TO COME UNTRUE.

Oh, I know many of you are saying, “I wish I could believe that.” And guess what? This idea is so potent that you can go forward with that. To even want the resurrection, to love the idea of the resurrection, long for the promise of the resurrection even though you are unsure of it, is strengthening. I John 3:2-3. Beloved, now we are children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope purify themselves as he is pure.” Even to have a hope in this is purifying.

Listen to how Dostoevsky puts it in Brothers Karamazov: “I believe like a child that suffering will be healed and made up for, that all the humiliating absurdity of human contradictions will vanish like a pitiful mirage, like the despicable fabrication of the impotent and infinitely small Euclidean mind of man, that in the world’s finale, at the moment of eternal harmony, something so precious will come to pass that it will suffice for all hearts, for the comforting of all resentments, of the atonement of all the crimes of humanity, of all the blood that they’ve shed; and it will make it not only possible to forgive but to justify what has happened.”

That is strong and that last sentence is particularly strong…but if the resurrection is true, it’s absolutely right. Amen.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

* Pray for our growth in personal holiness & Christ-likeness.* Pray for patience as we learn about this culture and place. It is very humbling not knowing how to find much of anything in this place and having to be so reliant on others to do just about anything. So pray for patience & endurance.* Pray for the kids & their safety here. Make that for the whole mission team. We are some of the only gringos in this place and we constantly feel like we stand out because we do. Lots of folks are curious and needy. * Pray for our acquisition of the Spanish language. In fact, pray that if God doesn't grant the gift of tongues and /or the interpretation of tongues, that He would grant the quickest acquisition of another language that has ever been accomplished in the history of the world. Our whole family is taking lessons. * Pray for the healing of my back. As many of you know, I've had 2 surgery's on my lower back and now I've stirred stuff up down there again. I have constant pressure on a nerve in my lower back which causes quite a bit of discomfort and gnawing pain most of the time. I have found a therapist in town who is treating it and it seems to make progress from time to time. * Pray for the advance of Christ's kingdom here. Pray for our three churches, for the encouragement of the pastors who serve them. And pray for the unviversity ministry that meets every Friday night.

"May God be gracious to us and bless usand make His face shine upon us (selah)that Your way may be known on the earthYour saving power among all nations." ~ Ps. 67:1-2

If you have been following the news lately, you know that the Pope has stirred up a hornet's nest by implying that Muhommed was 'evil & inhuman.' Actually, he was quoting a 14th century Byzantine emperor who said, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." [It is curious that for many, the historical record of Mohommed's actions is absolutely irrelevant. And as John Gibson at FoxNews notes, "As The Times and TIME magazine and others have pointed out, it's hard to think of another religion that presently calls for war and death as the method of bringing the faith to the unenlightened."]

Now regardless of what you think of the Pope's comments, many folks are left scratching their heads that a religious and social phenomenom that wants to be taken seriously as the essence of peace simultaneously calls for violence when anyone insults, criticizes, or calls into question the actions and / or teachings of Muhommed /Islam. For example, the cries have gone out that the Pope must be executed. Death to the Pope. A nun was shot and attacks upon churches in Palestine have increased. Protesting outside Westminster Abbey, Anjem Choudary said, "The Muslims take their religion very seriously and non-Muslims must appreciate that and they must also understand that there may be serious consequences if you insult Islam and the prophet....Whoever insults the message of Mohammed is going to be subject to capital punishment....I think that warning needs to be understood by all people who want to insult Islam and want to insult the prophet of Islam."

All this is to say that I believe that Islam is fundamentally incapable of 'taking a hit.' For all their talk of Allah being merciful, Allah is not capable of taking a hit. Contrast this with Christianity's teaching that God took on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ and took THE ULTIMATE hit when he was beaten, stripped, humilliated, insulted, and crucified.

If you didn't read Piper's excellent article on "Being Insulted" when all the hullabaloo erupted when the Danish cartoonist characterized Muhommed, then you should check it out. Piper says,

"The work of Muhammad is based on being honored and the work of Christ is based on being insulted. This produces two very different reactions to mockery....That’s the most basic difference between Christ and Muhammad and between a Muslim and a follower of Christ. For Christ, enduring the mockery of the cross was the essence of his mission. And for a true follower of Christ enduring suffering patiently for the glory of Christ is the essence of obedience. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Matthew 5:11). During his life on earth Jesus was called a bastard (John 8:41), a drunkard (Matthew 11:19), a blasphemer (Matthew 26:65), a devil (Matthew 10:25); and he promised his followers the same: “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household” (Matthew 10:25)....It means that a religion with no insulted Savior will not endure insults to win the scoffers. It means that this religion is destined to bear the impossible load of upholding the honor of one who did not die and rise again to make that possible. It means that Jesus Christ is still the only hope of peace with God and peace with man."

Lord, give us the ability to follow the Lord Jesus and to take hits for His glory--not only to take them, but also to rejoice in them.

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church..." (Colossians 1:24).

"...and when they [i.e., the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council] had called in the Apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, [and shouted death to their enemies? threatened violence & terrorism? No, they left...]rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name" (Acts 5:40-41).

Update: My good friend, Brian Franklin, sent me this commentary by Chuck Colson.

Monday, September 18, 2006

From time to time, I want to share with you some of the stuff that I am reading that is impacting my life. A man for who I have great respect and whom I have only discovered in the last few years is CJ Mahaney. I have several of his books, including Living The Cross-Centered Life and Why Small Groups? The book I'm currently reading is called Humility and it is a gem. Coming in at around 160 pages (& small ones at that), it is easily digestible and packs a powerful punch.

He begins by quoting Isaiah 66:2, and then contends, "Humility draws the gaze of our Sovereign God." Ponder that.

Here are some other great quotes...

"The real issue here is not if pride exists in your heart; it's where pride exists and how pride is being expressed in your life" (p. 29).

Quoting Charles Bridges, Mahaney perceptively says that pride "lifts up one's heart against God" and "contends for supremacy" with Him (p. 31). "Lord, in that moment, I was contending for supremacy with You. Tha'ts what it was all about. Forgive me."

In another section, Mahaney refers to the need to humbly accept sleep as a gift. He encourages us to pray at night, "Lord, thank You for this gift. The fact that I'm so tired is a reminder that the I am the creature and only You are the Creator. Only You neither slumber nor sleep, while for me, sleep is something I cannot go without. Thank You for this gracious, humbling, refreshing gift" (p. 84).

I'll have more to come from this book. I'd encourage all my friends to get this book and seek to learn to be more like Christ.

This past Friday night, I had the privIilege of preaching for the first time at our RUF meeting (known previously & locally as the Society of Saint Augustine, or SSA). I taught about the Lord Jesus & the forgiveness of sins from Luke's Gospel and Bill Bradford translated for me. We had about 25-30 students for the evening. Pastor Geraldo has done a great job of gathering students here, and we are excited about what the future holds!!! Here are some pictures of the evening:

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

I'm sure that it will not be the last, but I made my first (at least that I'm aware of) embarrassing mistake in speaking Spanish. I took a taxi the other day and told my taxi cab driver that I am new to Trujillo and I am anxious to learn much. I said that I wanted to learn about his city, his people, his language and his "país" which means country or nation, but what I said instead is that I wanted to get to know his "pies" which means feet. When I saw his face drop, I reiterated it thinking that I just didn't articulate it well.

Friday, September 8, 2006

I can't believe it. I no longer have any young children. On Wednesday, Colton turned seven years old, which just makes us feel very old now. All the Peruvians are amazed that we have 5 children all between the ages of 7 & 11!

Here are some pics of the bday party we had for him. We had a great time for the special boy!

Tuesday, September 5, 2006

One of the great privileges of my life was to study at Reformed Theological Seminary--Jackson under Dr. Knox Chamblin. I studied Pauline Epistles, Greek, and the Parables of Luke in Greek with him during my years of study. Knox and his lovely wife, Ginger, have come to Peru for the week to participate in our first ever Spiritual Life Conference for the mission team.

We have had a great time studying the Scriptures, reflecting on life and mission, and the cause of the Gospel in this world. Knox and Ginger have been great examples to me and my wife, and we hope that the Lord will find us faithful as the Chamblins have been faithful in serving Him throughout the years. They are such a great inspiration to "fight the good fight" and to finish well.

Knox is also teaching a module this week on the Parables of Matthew for our churches, seminarians, and other believers in the area. Last night, we had 50+ in attendance. Please pray for the endurance of the Chamblins, and for the fruitfulenss of their minsitry here.

This is the blog of John & Heather Ferguson keeping you up to date about life & ministry among the students & parish churches of Peru (& whatever else strikes our fancy). After spending seven years with RUF at Texas A&M University, the Ferguson's have moved to Peru to aid in the work of renewing northern Peru with the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!